Air knives are effective tools used to blow off liquids or debris from products as they pass through the conveyors. Air knives are generally utilized in manufacturing or as an initial step in a recursive and recycling process. This helps separate lighter and smaller particles from other components used in later stages, like post manufacturing parts, drying and conveyor cleaning, and component cleaning. The knife usually consists of a uniform sheet of laminar airflow, which is high-intensity and is sometimes referred to as streamline flow.
The air knife used in industrial settings is a pressurized air plenum that consists of a continuous series of holes through which the pressurized air leaves in a laminar pattern. When the air exits, it creates an impact velocity on the object's surface on which the air is directed towards. This impact air velocity can be made from a gentle breeze to one of Mach 0.6 to change or modify the surface of a product without any mechanical contact.
How Do Air Knives Work?
As we already mentioned, air knives create a laminar flow of air through the whole length of the object. Laminar flow creates a balanced and uniform layer of air that does not mix up with other layers later on in further steps. They consist of a specially designed nozzle that utilizes low-pressure air and will require a reliable supply to work effectively. Compared to high-pressure systems, low-pressure air is less expensive and safer for workers.
The air knife system's air supply is created from a low-pressure blower and a nozzle. The air pressure of the blower may vary depending upon the application but generally is less than 15 PSI and usually provides a large volume of air. The nozzle offers a long pathway through which the air can be dispersed. The common materials used in manufacturing air knives are steel, plastic, or aluminum.
Applications of Air Knives
As explained before in the Coanda effect, air knives produce a sheet of uniform air that can stick to the surfaces of objects. This makes them helpful in drying things as they can effectively get rid of moisture from objects in which some liquids have been used at the initial stages of the manufacturing process. The air streams of air knives can cover up the object's surface area, which is effective for drying applications.
Air knives help get rid of foreign substances in areas. It also creates a sterile environment, and the objects can safely pass through it. You will find air knives with different configurations capable of covering a large surface area to form a uniform sheet to protect the object from any dust and other such particles.
The airstream transmitted from Air Knives is an extreme focus. It is a compelling method for eliminating dust, soil, garbage, and fluid from the outer layer of articles, without consuming or harming the item. This is especially pivotal where the nature of the result, for example, with things made in the electronics industry, is vital to their prosperity.
Air knives can also be used for cooling purposes such as the air exiting hot environments like ovens. These systems are appropriate when liquid cooling is not preferred and the items need to be cooled immediately.
